The most important tool is the applicator. Loretta Roome, author of the wonderful book Mehndi: The Timeless Art of Henna Painting, recommends the Jacquard bottle for this purpose. The bottles are available at most art stores, usually in the craft section. Just ask someone at the store. If you cannot find them locally, you can order them from a distributor listed at the end of this book.

You will also need heavy-duty, four-millimeter plastic to make cones to fill the applicators with henna paste. Drop cloth or freezer bags work best. Other items you will need are scotch tape; scissors; a ceramic, glass, or wooden bowl; a tea strainer; cotton swabs (get real 100 percent cotton); paper towels; a sifter (if you need to sift the henna powder); flat toothpicks; rubber gloves; and finally lemons and sugar. You might want to get a lemon squeezer too. There are some other fun items that are not necessary, but you might want to get them down the road a bit. They include: coal, incense, porcupine quills, coins, and candles. These are mood enhancing, Middle Eastern toys for henna time.